Editor’s note: When she appeared at Fatima, Our Lady asked us not only to pray the rosary, but also to meditate on its mysteries. In this continuing five-part series, writer Steven Richardson explores how the mysteries of the rosary are reflected in the rosary prayers themselves.
Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee…”
In the third joyful mystery, we behold Jesus in the manger alongside His parents. This is the great prayer of adoration, of the salvation that has finally come to the people of God. This is the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In Luke 2, the evangelist sets the historical scene, underscoring the significance of this event not just for the people of Israel, but for the whole world. And he sets the time, noting the significance of this event not just for the present, but for the past and the future.
The Lord is with thee, we pray. These are the words that Gabriel spoke to Mary at the Annunciation, and they remained with her in her heart. As those who have anticipated the birth of a child know, the baby is present from the very conception, and this is something that a parent can feel. The child is with us, even when contained by the body of his mother. But to see the child born into the world, to behold the glorious design of God in the flesh, is to participate in the great mystery of life. Any birth gives us a part in this joy, but the birth of Jesus is all the more joyful because it brought the God-Man into the world.
This birth could only occur because of Mary’s fiat, which she gave to God’s angel after he greeted her with “Hail, full of grace.” This is Mary’s name in God’s eyes, as she is absolutely saturated with grace, even from before she holds God Himself in her womb. She was created to be the ark, to bring forth Jesus spotless and immaculate, and to share in His humanity. There was no other way for this to occur than for Mary to be full of grace.
“…blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…”
In the prayer this follows Gabriel’s words, and what followed Gabriel’s words at the Annunciation was a sign of Mary’s distinct humility. “She was greatly troubled at the saying,” the evangelist tells us in Luke 1:29. We see here another sign of the humility of Mary, for she is faced once more with words that could cause her to rejoice for herself, to magnify her own importance and significance, given what she held within her body. Elizabeth tells her that she is blessed among women. In other people, this would be a temptation to consider what part she might have played in this. But not for Mary.
In response to these words, Mary sings the Magnificat, a song of praise not for herself, but to God. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47) Mary does not want to accept the credit here, but instead she makes it clear that God has done all things for her, that He is the one who accomplishes the miraculous and impossible. “He has helped His servant Israel,” (Luke 1:54) Mary says to her cousin, focusing the attention on what this great event means for His people.
Likewise, the third sorrowful mystery, the Crowning with Thorns, is the sign of Jesus’ great and infinite humility. In this mystery we see the King of the Universe derided as a false prophet, a pretender to the throne. He was made to endure intense suffering by the thorns that dug into His head. What humility it took for Jesus to accept these pains, both physical and mental, and refuse to answer those who were jeering at Him. It is the will of God that He wear the brutal crown. Perhaps He was already thinking of the salvation He would bring, the “remembrance of His mercy” (Luke 1:54), as He would when he would say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
“Holy Mary, Mother of God…”
In the Third Glorious Mystery, we find the apostles and Mary in the Upper Room. The Holy Spirit descends upon them, giving them the insight and courage that they need to preach the Gospel to all nations. They understand many languages and they even have a glimpse into the deepest secrets of theology, the things that God has “hidden from the wise and understanding” (Luke 10:21).
There are many, even today, who fail to understand that Mary is the Mother of God. And even though trying to deny this can twist a well-meaning Christian into knots, some persist in denying it all the same. Great heresies arise from the refutation of Jesus’ divinity, and to fail to recognize Our Lady as the Mother of God, the Theotokos, leads a person down these roads of error. To sustain this truth about the Blessed Mother, we need the Holy Spirit. We need the courage and insight that was given to the apostles in that room. We need to take this wonderful truth, along with all of the sacred truths of our faith, to the nations. Our Lady’s eternal motherhood represents the many vital truths of the Catholic faith that support God’s kingdom on earth, the dogmas that provide the blessings of living in God’s light. “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know His ordinances” (Psalm 147:19-20).
In a way, the scene in which the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles and Mary is the first council, in which the succession is established, the task set, and the tools for the job given to those who would use them to defend Jesus. Many heresies would arise in the coming years, and not all will be defeated easily, but defeating those who deny the Theotokos was the start.
“…pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
In the third luminous mystery, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, Jesus attempts to enlighten His disciples as to what His presence means. He tells them why He has come and what He has come to accomplish. First, Jesus tells us, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Later in His ministry, He reinforces this: “The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” When we ask Mary to pray for us – sinners, all – she is praying to God as our mother of mercy. She is carrying out the ministry that Jesus instituted when He proclaimed the kingdom.
In this prayer, we ask Mary to pray for us not only now, but at the hour of our death. The importance of this was highlighted again and again by Our Savior during His ministry. The hour of death is the hour that will bring judgment, when Jesus will deem us as either a goat or a sheep. When proclaiming the kingdom while journeying toward Jerusalem, Jesus was asked, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23) Jesus told them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Through the parables, He refers to this hour of our death as the eye of a needle, that narrow way. He taught specifically about death in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).
Jesus teaches us to store up our treasures in heaven, so that we can claim them at the hour of our death, helped by the prayers of Our Lady.
Steven Richardson is a Lay Dominican and a member of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte. In the fourth installment of this series, to be published June 22, Richardson will explore the mysteries of the rosary in the context of the Glory Be prayer. Learn more about this series at www.bornofwoman.net.
Read the previous installments:
The first prayer of the rosary: The Apostles’ Creed
The second prayer of the rosary: The Lord’s Prayer